French Guiana Facts

Fact

V!VA User‘s Description

FROM CIA WORLD FACTS

Country Name:

Conventional long form: Department of Guiana

Conventional short form: French Guiana

Local short form: Guyane

Historical Background: First settled by the French in 1604, French Guiana was the site of notorious penal settlements until 1951. The European Space Agency launches its communication satellites from Kourou.

Geography Note: French Guyana is mostly unsettled wilderness and is the only non-independent portion of the South American continent. It is dependent on France.

Geography: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname

Area: 91000 sq km (56,500 sq mi)

Coastline: 378 km (235 mi)

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains

Natural Resources: bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), petroleum, kaolin, fish, niobium, tantalum, clay

Natural Hazards: heavy showers and thunderstorms; flooding

Population: 191,309 (July 2004)

Nationality: noun – French Guianese (sing. and plural); adj – French Guianese

Ethnic Groups: black or mulatto 66%, white 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10%

Religions: Roman Catholic

Languages: French

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write: 83%

Dependency Status: overseas department of France

Capital: Cayenne

National Holiday: Bastille Day, July 14 (1789)

Constitution: September 28, 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal System: French Legal System

President and Chief of State: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995)

Economic Overview: The economy is tied closely to the larger French economy through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou (which accounts for 25% of GDP), fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities. Forest and woodland cover 90% of the country. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops is limited to the coastal area, where the population is largely concentrated; rice and manioc are the major crops. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly among younger workers.

GDP per Capita: $8,300 (2001)

Unemployment Rate: 22%

Agriculture Products: corn, rice, manioc (tapioca), sugar, cocoa, vegetables, bananas; cattle, pigs, poultry

Industries: construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining

Export Partners: France, Switzerland, US

Currency: Euro (EUR)

Airports: 11 (4 of which are paved)